


far off riches in distant lands

by negaprion



Series: F/F (by WLW for WLW) by user negaprion [2]
Category: Borderlands
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Jathena - Freeform, Kissing, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6443860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/negaprion/pseuds/negaprion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Athena wanted to tell her that she would stop leaving.  That she wouldn’t chase vaults, or monsters, or far-off riches in distant lands.  </p><p>But she couldn’t."</p><p>(Athena gets injured on a mission.  Janey isn't too happy about it.  But being in love, of course, helps smooth out even the thorniest of arguments.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	far off riches in distant lands

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! Back again with another short little Jathena fic. Hope you enjoy!

There was a packet of gauze on the table. Every once in awhile, Janey Springs would reach for it, smudging a little motor oil on it’s dry white packaging. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Athena said. She was hunched over, looking somehow both defeated and haughty. “It’s not that bad.”

Janey, tight-lipped, gave a small tssk. She flattened a bit of gauze out on her knee. 

“Of course you would say that,” she replied, reaching for Athena’s bare arm. There was a nasty gash there, purple as a plum and still bleeding. Carefully, but not quite gently, she dragged the gauze around the edges of the wound, and Athena held back a wince. The hydrogen peroxide had been worse. There were tiny bloody rags, usually used for wiping dust and dirt off of death race rides, littering the room. 

“Janey,” she started, pushing a wet strand of hair out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, alright?”

“Sorry?” Janey scoffed. She finished wrapping the gauze. Taking a small step back, she wrinkled her nose. It was unbearably cute, thought Athena, even as she knew what was coming next. “Athena, I’m tired, okay? I’m tired of constantly worrying, of sitting here in the dark, waiting for you to come back home, hoping to whatever fucking god there is that you actually do come back!” She paused to take a breath. Athena watched her, her heart feeling suddenly like it was chained to a heavy block of cement and dropped down her ribcage. 

Outside, the soft sadistic sounds of Hollow Point at night came muffled and unheard.

“It’s so hard, Athena,” Janey said, much quieter this time. She was clutching the rest of the gauze to her chest, that wonderful sunny-ness about her briefly withered and vanished. She looked frightened. She looked weary. She looked, to Athena, both ancient and painfully young. “I can’t lose you, I just can’t.”

Athena braced her shaky legs, sitting up slowly. She swayed, once, and Janey flinched forward a bit, as if to catch her. Instead, Athena reached forward with a hand, pink with dried blood, and rested it cautiously on Janey’s cheek. 

She wanted to say something. She did, her side aching and blood still oozing, sharp and ugly, out of her arm, her temple, her leg. She wanted to hold Janey Springs, too bright for her own good, and promise her that she would always be here, that she would never really leave, that she could never die, not when she had Pandora’s greatest treasure right here, in a dirty back room of an old garage. 

Athena wanted to tell her that she would stop leaving. That she wouldn’t chase vaults, or monsters, or far-off riches in distant lands. 

But she couldn’t.

Instead, she pitched forward, letting her breath hitch and her shoulders slump and her face (a face she’d so carefully kept tailored, kept cold, kept empty like they had taught her) fall. 

“I’m sorry,” she said instead. “I’m sorry, Janey Springs.”

They stayed there for a moment. Janey’s collar was warm, and Athena was cold, standing there in an old t-shirt and a pair of Janey’s work over-alls, never worn. 

“You’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?” There wasn’t any venom behind the words. “I swear, of all the crazy, no-good, thrill-seeking, selfish vault-hunting idiots, it had to be you.” Janey pushed Athena back, a tiny, crooked grin on her face. Blonde fringe shaded one eyes, and Athena thought she’d never seen something so beautiful. 

“Yeah,” she said back, with a punch to the shoulder. “But at least I’m hot.”

With that, Janey laughed, and the tightness in Athena’s ribcage let up. She felt herself being dragged forward by the straps of her ugly, ill-fitting overalls (they were too tall--Janey was much lankier than she was). 

The kiss was sweet. They always were. Athena kept one gauzed hand on Janey’s cheek, and Janey’s fingers were cold over the bruises on her waist. 

By the time they broke apart, Athena was tilting again, the pain hitting her with a vengeance. Janey helped her back to her seat, much gentler this time. 

“I’m serious, though,” she said. “I don’t want you out there anymore. Things are...different now. Helios crashing, it set everything out of balance. Scooter gone. The vault. Fiona and Rhys, wherever they ended up. I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t--”

“But I did, Janey,” Athena cut her off softly. “I did come back.”

For a moment, it looked like she was going to yell again. She straightened, eyes much  
dimmer than they were supposed to be. 

“Yeah, dummy. I guess you did.” 

She gathered the gauze, the scissors, the bloody rags from the table, and leaned over to  
place a quick kiss on Athena’s hair. 

“Next time I’m coming with you, though. Someone’s got to keep an eye out for you.”

Athena smirked. 

“Think you can handle it, Springs?”

“Oh yeah,” came the reply. “And Athena?”

She turned. Winked. That sideways smile again. 

“Love you to the moon and back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Have a lovely day! If you want, hit me up on the tumblr (@itsrhys) for more Borderlands shenanigans.


End file.
